National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals Announces Out to Innovate™ Scholarship Winners

Pasadena, CA, August 1, 2014—Today, the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP) is proud to announce the winners for the 2014 NOGLSTP Out To Innovate™ Scholarships, made possible by an Innovation Generation grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation.

The winner of the 2014 Out to Innovate™ Undergraduate Scholarship is Nathalie Lambrecht . Ms Lambrecht will be finishing her major in Health Sciences this coming semester at Saint Mary’s College of California. Nathalie has worked on two research projects at St. Mary’s and presented her research at the AAAS Annual Conference in Boston, MA in February, 2013. She has received numerous academic awards including the Joseph P. McKenna first place summer research award and the Julie A. Pryde Award for Outstanding Scholarship as a Health Sciences Major. Nathalie was also a member of the St. Mary’s Division I Women’s Rowing Team, competing as an athlete for three years and student-coaching in her fourth year. Nathalie seeks to be an advocate for the LBGTQIA community as an actively out lesbian on her college campus. She has also volunteered at Lyon-Martin Health Services, a clinic serving underinsured members of the LGBTQIA community. Nathalie is currently working as an intern at Blood Systems Research Institute in San Francisco. “I feel incredibly honored to receive the NOGLSTP Out to Innovate™ Scholarship not only as an academic distinction, but as recognition of my contributions to the LGBT community in such a pivotal time for LGBT rights. When I decided to be actively out on campus, I was fearful that my sexual orientation would hinder my academic potential, especially as a scientist. Instead I found that professors valued my research and academic work regardless of my orientation and supported my personal journey. Over the years I was embraced by peers, teammates, and faculty and saw that being out was a powerful form of advocacy. I hope that I can inspire other students to spread awareness by being out on their campus. As someone who is passionate about science and the rights of LGBTQIA individuals, I am grateful for the support from NOGLSTP to finish my undergraduate career.”

The winner of the 2014 Out to Innovate™ Graduate Scholarship is Leslie Kerby. Ms. Kerby is a Ph.D. candidate in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Idaho. Growing up in a predominantly Mormon culture, she completed her BS in Physics in 1998 and then paused her science career to focus on raising her children. Following a divorce (and coming out) over a decade later, she re-entered science to support herself and her five children. Her research is in applied nuclear physics. She has partnered with Los Alamos National Laboratory to upgrade parts of the spallation reaction models used within the transport code, MCNP6, for her dissertation. She completed her Masters in May of 2013. She was awarded the American Physical Society M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship in 2013-2014, one of only three female physicists across the US to be so recognized. In addition, she was a Roy G. Post Foundation Scholarship recipient in 2013, recently was chosen by the American Nuclear Society as a John and Muriel Landis Scholar (2014), and is a member of the US Delegation for the 2014 International Conference on Women in Physics. “I am deeply honored to be selected as the NOGLSTP Out To Innovate™ graduate scholar. I recognize the many applicants who were also deserving and is grateful to be acknowledged with this prestigious award. I promise to represent LGBTQ scientists well and to continue my efforts to promote awareness and acceptance in both the workplace and society. I am also extremely grateful for the financial aspect of this award. As a student supporting five children, this scholarship is very welcome. “

These scholarships are intended for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) programs who are either lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) or an active ally of the LGBT community. The scholarships are designed to promote academic excellence and increased visibility of talented LGBT students in STEM careers.

Funded at $5,000 each, the scholarships will be for the 2014 fall academic year. As the embodiment of pride in LGBT and STEM communities, all scholarship applicants will receive a complimentary student membership in NOGLSTP. The scholarship winners will attend Out to Innovate™ 2014, a two day summit for LGBT students, faculty and professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to be held at Georgia Tech in November 2014.

The program is marking its fourth year as a source of educational support. For more information about NOGLSTP’s Out to Innovate™ Scholarship Program, contact the scholarship coordinator at scholarships at noglstp dot org. For more information about NOGLSTP, contact Rochelle Diamond, NOGLSTP chair and Caltech research biologist, 626-484-7022; chair at NOGLSTP dot org.

About NOGLSTP
NOGLSTP was established in 1980, incorporated in the state of California in 1991, and was granted IRS 501 (c) 3 nonprofit status in 1992. NOGLSTP is a professional society that educates and advocates for LGBTQ people in STEM. NOGLSTP presents educational symposia and workshops nationwide and fosters dialog with other professional societies, academia, and industry to facilitate diversity and inclusion in the workplace. NOGLSTP is an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is a participating professional society member of MentorNet®, a sustaining member of the National Postdoctoral Association, a member of the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute Presidential Advisory Project’s Coalition, a partner with the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, and a founding member of the E-Week Diversity Council. For more information, visit the website at www.noglstp.org or contact scholarships at noglstp dot org.

About MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS FOUNDATION
The Motorola Solutions Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola Solutions. With employees located around the globe, Motorola Solutions seeks to benefit the communities where it operates. The company achieves this by making strategic grants, forging strong community partnerships and fostering innovation. The Motorola Solutions Foundation focuses its funding on public safety, disaster relief, employee programs and education, especially science, technology, engineering and math programming. For more information on Motorola Solutions corporate and foundation giving, visit www.motorolasolutions.com/giving.

NOGLSTP is:

a professional society that educates and advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students and professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics